United Cities and Local Governments Middle East and West Asia Section (UCLG-MEWA) is keen to develop its relationships with the local governments in the Middle East and West Asia Region and to promote and localize the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Within this context, UCLG-MEWA visited the Consulate of Palestine in Istanbul on 25 July 2019.
Mehmet Duman, UCLG-MEWA Secretary General, and his delegation visited Hana Abu Ramadan, Consul General of the State of Palestine, in her office at the Consulate General in Istanbul. Secretary General Duman briefed the Consul General Abu Ramadan on the Organization’s most important activities and presented her the new publications. He also explained the need to expand cooperation with the local governments in Palestine, especially since this visit came immediately after the 6th UCLG-MEWA Congress hosted by the Greater Amman Municipality on 9-10 July 2019 in Jordan. During the Congress, the Association of Palestinian Local Authorities (APLA) was elected as UCLG-MEWA Co-President, while Ramallah Municipality was elected as the President of the UCLG-MEWA Committee on Smart Cities and Urban Mobility. Furthermore, several Palestinian municipalities were elected to the governing bodies of UCLG-MEWA and to the Presidency of the UCLG-MEWA Committees for the period 2019-2022.
Secretary General Duman recommended that Ramallah Municipality, as the President of UCLG-MEWA Committee on Smart Cities and Urban Mobility, organize a meeting with the Committee’s Co-Presidents to prepare a Program of Activities for the 2019-2022 period. He also noted the need for the active participation of the Palestinian municipalities that do not actively take part in the activities of the organization and asked for the assistance of the Consul General in this matter. In this regard, the Consul General Abu Ramadan expressed her willingness to cooperate.
At the end of the meeting, the Consul General Abu Ramadan presented souvenirs to the UCLG-MEWA delegation as a reminder of the Palestinian heritage. The meeting was concluded with a family photo.